Drug addicts are being drawn from the city to The Meadows to order their drugs from a series of phone boxes - and once one is closed down another is open for business.
Neighbourhood Inspector James Walker, who manages policing in The Meadows, said "it's the story of the phone boxes" when describing the problems currently blighting his patch.
The Meadows has previously been an area which attracted 'gang syndicates' 'gun crime' and 'postcode rivalries with areas like St Ann's and Radford.
But this year it was with 1,677 recorded incidents between March 2018 and February 2019.
Insp Walker said while 'violence' in The Meadows was starting to wane, drug dealing had become a huge problem - and it can be linked to phone boxes.
He said the issues stem back to April 2018 - when the area was rocked by five stabbings.
"One of the things we found was there was a lack of evidence to prosecute but we knew who these offenders were," he added.
"We saw the overlap of these offences and drugs. What can we do to restrict their behaviour?
"Some of these offenders had been involved in drugs so we targeted them for drugs.
"We did that and it was successful."
They also took out the addicts' main drug line.
Back then, a BT phone box in the Bridgeway shopping centre was the busiest in the county, being used to make a staggering 3,000 calls a year.
"They were coming into the Bridgeway Centre, shoplifting, selling the items, buying the drugs and then doing it there," he said.
Police worked with BT to have the phone box removed and the drug dealing and violence started to calm down.
"Problems are always evolving," he said. "What we have found now is that violence has dissipated but we still have the drugs."
Problems then began to form around the Toll Bridge and red phone box, close to the tram line at Meadows Embankment.
People were ordering their drugs from the phone box and then using the drugs under the bridge.
The pay phone inside was removed this August.
It has now moved to phone boxes in Launder Street and Risley Drive.
They are even using the grounds of Our Lady and St Patrick in The Meadows Church to 'shoot up.'
Needles have also been found at Gritley Mews, where an old pub used to stand, but the land now remains derelict.
"I can only assume they don't have mobile phones or don't want to be linked evidentially to ringing the number. BT have an obligation to provide telephones.
"They have already removed two. Honestly, I don't know (if they will remove the others) but we are working hard (to have them removed).
"We are getting reports of needles being left around and the anti-social behaviour that comes from drug use.
"There is far less violence but I am not happy we have got that other problem."
Operation Baxter has been launched to tackle those peddling drugs on The Meadows estate, with a number of warrants carried out at addresses.
A number of arrests have been made, and drugs such as heroin, cocaine and cannabis have been seized.
"At one point we were told the drugs in The Meadows were cheaper but it does feel more drug dealers gravitate towards The Meadows.
"But it is difficult to say whether The Meadows has a problem that is more significant than anywhere else.
"It is close to the city and it has good transport links.
"The Meadows community do tell us (about it) and they are not tolerant of it.
"Work is being done around the environmental side - what makes this an attractive area for drug users?
"The phones? Could we cut hedges back? Finding needles is the biggest concern.
"Community protection have helped and the city council. It is our focus."
